Thompson: Stand or Fall in SC

While the candidates await the results of voting in today’s New Hampshire Primary, one of the Republican candidates has flown south seeking a warmer reception.

With his Republican rivals jockeying for victory in New Hampshire, presidential hopeful Fred Thompson sought Tuesday to boost his support in this early voting state considered critical to his campaign.

“I don’t know of any better place to stand my ground and test my case than in South Carolina,” Thompson told a couple of hundred people at a pancake house in the northern part of the state as he began an 11-day bus tour.

Several hours later, he said primary results in New Hampshire and in Michigan on Jan. 15 will factor into whether he stays in the race — but that South Carolina will be key.

“This is where we make our stand — this is where I have chosen to make my stand,” Thompson told a crowd at a barbecue restaurant. He later told reporters he needs to do well in South Carolina, which votes Jan. 19.

I’ve said before that I don’t think Fred’s heart is in this campaign, so it’s not surprising to me that he’s left New Hampshire. His showing there will be unimpressive. There was much speculation regarding the future of his bid for the GOP presidential nomination. Now, it’s pretty clear what Fred’s plans are. Win and live through South Carolina, or stop and get off the bus, permanently.